President officiates at the renaming of the East Link Bridge as the Tom Clarke Bridge

President officiates at the renaming of the East Link Bridge as the Tom Clarke Bridge

President Michael D. Higgins speaking in Ringsend, Dublin, at a ceremony for the renaming of the former East Link bridge, now named after Tom Clarke, first signatory of the 1916 Proclamation, who was executed on 3 May 1916.

The President also unveiled a plaque and laid a wreath at the bridge.

The President said: 

"The names of the leaders of the 1916 Rising are written indelibly into the history books of Ireland.  Some of them have also been immortalised in the names of Dublin streets and buildings, becoming embedded into the daily lives of thousands of citizens as they go about their normal business. Today the name of Tom Clarke, the first signatory to the Proclamation, will join that honourable roll call. It is, perhaps, an honour that many would consider overdue. There can be no doubt that he is a figure that links the revolutionary generations.”